RESILIENCE AND ADAPTABILITY OF RURAL COMMUNITIES A CASE STUDY OF EBENHAESER James Backhouse visit to Ebenezer, 1840 DISSERTATION MASTERS IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES MDS 794 Ilma Brink Student number: 2005024092 Centre for Development Support University of the Free State Bloemfontein 2014 Resilience and Adaptability of Rural Communities. A Case Study of Ebenhaeser Ilma Brink Contents TABLE OF FIGURES, MAPS, TABLES AND TRAVEL DEPICTIONS ....................... 4 ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................... 6 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER 1: PROBLEM STATEMENT .................................................................. 10 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 10 1.1 Critical Questions ........................................................................................ 11 1.2 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................... 12 1.3 Significance of the Study ............................................................................. 12 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH DESIGN ........................................................................ 13 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 13 2.1 Focus area of research ............................................................................... 13 2.2 Evidence required ....................................................................................... 13 2.3 The methods of evidence collection and sorting of evidence ...................... 14 2.3.1 Primary Data Collection ........................................................................ 14 2.3.2 Secondary Data Collection ................................................................... 14 2.3.3 Questionnaires and interviews .............................................................. 14 2.3.4 Sorting and categorizing of data ........................................................... 15 2.3.5 Interpretation of evidence ..................................................................... 15 2.4 Limitations ................................................................................................... 15 2.5 Ethical considerations ................................................................................. 16 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 17 CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ......................................................... 18 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Conceptualising Resilience ......................................................................... 19 3.1.1 Social Systems ..................................................................................... 20 3.1.2 Resilience ............................................................................................. 21 3.2 Adaptive Cycle Theory ................................................................................ 23 3.2.1 Heuristic adaptive cycle modelling ........................................................ 23 3.2.2 Fore- and Back loops ........................................................................... 24 3.2.3 Disturbances and change ..................................................................... 26 3.2.4 Response to change ............................................................................. 27 3.2.5 Thresholds ............................................................................................ 28 3.2.6 Resilience, Potential and Connectedness ............................................ 29 3.3 Panarchy of cycles ...................................................................................... 32 2 Resilience and Adaptability of Rural Communities. A Case Study of Ebenhaeser Ilma Brink 3.4 Understanding Maladaptation ..................................................................... 33 3.4.1 Poverty traps ........................................................................................ 33 3.4.2 Rigidity traps ......................................................................................... 34 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 36 CHAPTER 4: EBENHAESER AS CASE STUDY .................................................... 38 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 38 4.1 An overview of the Ebenhaeser Trajectories ............................................... 38 4.2 First Trajectory: Indigenous to Missionary rule (1832–1927) ..................... 39 4.2.1 Externally enforced transformation ....................................................... 39 4.2.2 The establishment of the Ebenezer Mission Station ............................. 41 4.2.3 Rhenish Mission Society ....................................................................... 44 4.2.4 Dutch Reformed Church Home Mission in Ebenezer ........................... 48 4.2.5 Influence of Missionaries on Ebenezer ................................................. 51 4.3 Second Trajectory: Missionary to Civil Rule (1927-1994) .......................... 54 4.3.1 External influences ............................................................................... 54 4.3.2 1925 Ebenezer (Van Rhynsdorp) Land Exchange Act, no. 14 of 1925 58 4.3.3 Ebenezer Internal Management ........................................................... 63 4.3.4 The Role of Water ................................................................................ 68 4.4 Third Trajectory: Democratic Rule (1994-date) ......................................... 73 4.4.1 External locus of control ....................................................................... 73 4.4.2 Ebenhaeser Growth Strategy ............................................................... 76 4.4.3 Inhibited Growth ................................................................................... 81 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 83 CHAPTER 5: EBENHAESER FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT CYCLES ........................................................................................ 85 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 85 5.1 Foresight, Intentionality and Anticipation ..................................................... 86 5.2 Panarchy ..................................................................................................... 86 5.2.1 Trajectory 1 (1832 – 1927) ................................................................... 88 5.2.2 Trajectory 2 (1827-1994) ...................................................................... 99 5.2.3 Trajectory 3 (1994 to date) ................................................................. 106 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 109 CHAPTER 6: BUILDING ADAPTIVE CAPACITY .................................................. 111 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 111 6.1 Moving Forward ......................................................................................... 111 6.2 Proactive Adaptive Governance ................................................................ 112 3 Resilience and Adaptability of Rural Communities. A Case Study of Ebenhaeser Ilma Brink 6.3 Collective Decision-Making ........................................................................ 117 6.4 Creating Awareness of Traps .................................................................... 118 6.5 Building Social Cohesion ........................................................................... 119 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 120 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 122 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 123 TABLE OF FIGURES, MAPS, TABLES AND TRAVEL DEPICTIONS Figure 1 Adaptation routes .................................................................................... 22 Figure 2 Adaptive Cycle ........................................................................................ 23 Figure 3 Adaptive cycle of CS Holling (2004) ........................................................ 29 Figure 4 Positioning of system properties ............................................................. 30 Figure 5 Adapted Panarchy ................................................................................... 32 Figure 6 Collapsing panarchy - moving into an undesired state ............................ 34 Figure 7 Johannes Jacob Lutz .............................................................................. 57 Figure 8 Governance model according to the Missionary and Communal Reserve Act, 1909 .................................................................................................................